[consulting] Selling Drupal to consultants

[gunnar]

> Well, the current license agreement for our clients is, as I 
> understand it, essentially "you can do anything with the code except 
> redistribute it".  With GPLed code that last "except" couldn't be 
> there, but really, I don't see our clients having the knowledge TO 
> redistribute anything we write anyway. :-)
>

If you write some proprietary code for one client, it may be non GPL. 
That code can be governed by above exeption.

Be aware that clients may change from your company to a competitor - which
will be able to redistribute your code - if it is GPL. 

If your business model i depending on OWNING code - it can be hard to change
the company from proprietary software to Open Source. I know - I'm there right
now!

What your company needs to calculate (apart from cost of maintenance and the
other stuff discussed) is:

Clients who are aware of the "lock in" strategy and will give you business
BECAUSE you're Open Source (meaning no lock in and some certainty that someone
out there will be able to maintain your code).

compared to

Clients who will switch partners because they no longer NEED to do business
with you.

Are they about the same size? (Do you get more business than you lose?)
Does management have more or less control of the situation?

If you do Account Management - you are in control of client satisfaction. So
you will not lose clients just because you're in Open Source.
That way Open Source can be the road to better business.

It's not that simple - I know.

Best
Gunnar Langemark
gunnar at langemark.com